I woke up. What time is it?, I thought. I looked at the clock on my nightstand, finding that it was about 8 in the morning. Why, I thought, Why were they all so against me last night? Riker has never snapped at me before. They've never rejected me before like that either.
As I pondered this, there was a knock on my door. "Rei? Could you let me in?" Ratliff asked. I wasn't sure about letting him in. My siblings are probably there too, waiting for me to open the door. "Are you alone?" I asked. "Yes. Please let me in. We have to talk," he replied.
I opened the door just a crack to peek out and saw that Ratliff was the only one there. I opened that door fully and let him in. We both sat on the bed. We were like that for a while until Ratliff broke the silence. "So I heard what happened last night," he said, "Rydel told me." "Did they send you here to talk to me?" I asked. "No. I came to ask you a question," he replied, "Is it my fault?" "What? No, why would it be?" I said, confused. "You said you couldn't live up to them. You said that you wanted to be like them. Do you feel replaced by me?" he said. "Ell, no I don't. Maybe at some points, I wish I was as close to them as you are. But, I could never feel threatened by you. You're my brother," I replied. "Thanks, Rei," Ratliff said, putting his arm around me, holding me close.
We both went down for breakfast. Ratliff went ahead through the doorway of the kitchen while I stayed behind. Ratliff noticed my hesitation. "They still love you, you know," he said. "No. I don't," I replied. Ratliff pulled me through the door.
As we took our seats at the table, everyone was staring at me. Mama and Daddy were out for the day, so it was just us. Rydel put a plate of eggs and bacon in front of me. "Thanks," I mumbled. She nodded in reply. We ate in silence for the rest of breakfast. That was until Ratliff broke the silence. "What are you guys doing?" he asked. "What do you mean?" Riker said. "You guys are family. You shouldn't be fighting like this. I'm so used to seeing you guys happy together. Joking around and laughing," Ratliff replied. I looked down guiltily and started tearing up. This is all my fault, I thought. As a tear slid down my face, a hand brushed it away. I looked up to see Ryland in front of me, a sad smile on his face. He held out his arms, asking for a hug. I gladly stood up and accepted it, crying into his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I have no right to be mad at you," he whispered into my ear.
Then I felt a hug from behind. I turned around to see Rydel with tears in her eyes. I hugged her back. Then Rocky and Ross joined in. After all love was shared between us, I looked to Riker. I came up to him and hugged him. He hugged me back and I have never felt so relieved. "I'm so sorry," he said, "I feel like this is all my fault. I'm your older brother. I should have been there for you. I should have trusted you. I know that I shouldn't have neglected you. I shouldn't have pushed you away. I know you're going through hard times right now. I am so, so, so sorry." I sobbed into his chest in reply. We all hugged once again.
I looked over to see Ratliff standing to the side. "Ell, get in here. You're our brother, you know," I said. I saw his eyes lit up and came over to join in on the love, right next to Rydel (#Rydellington). I cherished the moment because I knew then that I was never going to let go. Of them, of happiness, of love.
YOU ARE READING
Different, An R5 Little Sister Story
Fanfiction"We'll always love you. That's a promise, Rei," Riker said. "Yeah, no matter what, we'll always stick together," Ross said. "You can always count on us," Rocky said. "You're like a little sister to me, Rei," Ratliff said. "No one can replace you, Re...
